EU Confidential
EU Confidential is a weekly European news and politics podcast published every Friday by POLITICO Europe. Each 30-minute episode features POLITICO’s analysis of the top stories driving EU politics, as well as notable guests shaping European policy and deep-dive stories from around the Continent. It’s hosted by Sarah Wheaton, POLITICO’s chief policy correspondent, who is joined by reporters from around Europe. Discover our show notes for EU Confidential here: https://www.politico.eu/eu-confidential-podcast/
26
Can Brussels’ new power trio take on Trump?
Finally. After months of paralysis, the new leadership team in Brussels is up and running.
31 min
27
Romania’s TikTok upset boosts Putin
Romania’s presidential election delivered a TikTok-fueled political shock, with pro-Russia, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu winning the first round.
34 min
28
Scholz on the brink, Rubio in the wings: Europe...
While Donald Trump is filling out his top team, the EU faces a leadership vacuum.
29 min
29
The challenges to energy security in Europe
Europe’s energy system is entering a period of radical change.
14 min
30
What the Commissioner hearings revealed about t...
There were 26 hearings and 72 hours of questions, answers and non-answers — and in the end, none of it mattered. Politics clearly trumped policy as MEPs grilled the aspiring new commissioners, with partisanship reaching new heights.
30 min
31
How Trump is already breaking Europe
After Donald Trump’s election victory, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is breaking out the Champagne. Germany’s government, meanwhile, is breaking up.
38 min
32
Faith, fear and freedom: European eyes are on t...
For a fresh view of the U.S. election in its final days — and what it means for Europe — this week’s episode of EU Confidential gets a ground-level take from the campaign trail.
27 min
33
Brussels vs Moscow: The EU risks losing its eas...
A vote that was supposed to be a slam dunk in favor of the EU turned into a nail-biter: barely 50 percent of Moldovans backed the country’s accession ambitions in last week’s referendum.
35 min
34
The world is in crisis and the EU is doing ... ...
This week’s episode of EU Confidential is a show about nothing. As in: Brussels’ endless lame-duck inertia. Sure, there’s still lots of yadda yadda yadda, but no real action coming out of the EU institutions despite multiple global crises.
34 min
35
Driving toward a trade war with China
Buckle up. This week on the EU Confidential podcast, we’re talking cars. And a looming trade war.
27 min
36
From 'Fortress Austria' to 'Fortress Europe'?
In this week’s episode of EU Confidential, we tackle the complex forces shaping Europe’s future — where political shifts, migration and escalating conflict in neighboring regions are all colliding.
36 min
37
Ukraine’s 4-month countdown
Volodymyr Zelensky has just four months. That’s the time left until U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office. After that, who knows what’s going to happen. And that means uncomfortable questions for the EU, too.
35 min
38
The EU's new power pyramid and migration escala...
Live from Strasbourg… and Paris… and Berlin… and London, it’s EU Confidential. In this week’s episode, we catch you up on a dizzying week of news.
39 min
39
Does Europe’s economy need Mountain Dew?
While Brussels has been obsessed recently with the “Draghi report,” that’s NOT the topic of this week’s episode. We will, however, discuss WHY Brussels is so besotted. (Spoiler alert: It's because Europe’s economy is broken.)
34 min
40
Brussels’ back-to-school blues
It’s been a particularly chaotic rentrée for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In this week’s episode of EU Confidential, we talk about the mad dash to name the new slate of commissioners, while getting the right balance of politics, geography, gender and expertise.
31 min
41
Anne Applebaum on dictators big and small
In this episode of EU Confidential, we speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anne Applebaum. Her latest book, "Autocracy Inc.," explores how authoritarian regimes are banding together against democracies, including EU countries.
32 min
42
This burger could kill the EU
In this episode, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by Alessandro Ford, POLITICO’s agriculture reporter, to unpack how the prospect of lab-grown meat has riled up Europe’s farmers.
18 min
43
Summer special: Who votes for the European far ...
While the podcast takes a little break, we bring this insightful episode back into your feed — unpacking details of who votes for the far right in Europe.
36 min
44
Summer special: ‘Rent is too damn high!’ Europe...
On our summer break, we're bringing this episode back into your feed by popular demand, looking at a crisis that is affecting many Europeans in most EU countries.
38 min
45
EU Commissioners' power puzzle
Brussels might seem empty, but high-stakes games are afoot behind the scenes. Leaders are working the phones, trying to convince European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to give their country the most prestigious posts in the EU executive.
30 min
46
Harris, Vance and what they mean for Europe
Is American politics giving you whiplash? This week’s episode of EU Confidential has all you need to cope, with primers on the foreign policy postures of Vice President Kamala Harris and JD Vance.
36 min
47
As it happened: Ursula von der Leyen’s secret b...
Join host Sarah Wheaton for a romp through the Strasbourg seat of the European Parliament, and relive a week that was so crucial for Europe's direction over the next five years.
33 min
48
Viktor Orbán's rogue “peace missions” to Kyiv, ...
Just days into his country's rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán again stunned other European leaders by setting off on a series of visits to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing.
31 min
49
French election shocker: reaction and analysis
France has voted and the results are in — our POLITICO team in Paris discusses the surprising results of the final round of the parliamentary election in this special episode of EU Confidential.
20 min
50
Panic mode: Biden and Le Pen imperil mainstream...
Just days before the final round of France's snap parliamentary elections, we discuss possible scenarios for what could emerge from the messy political situation in Paris: shiny new leaders, a shaky new government, rocky cohabitation — or even more chaos.
30 min